Secretly I’d love to be the sort of person that casually invites a crowd over at the drop of a hat and effortlessly throws together flawless food, cool cocktails and a spot-on playlist. In truth, the thought makes me quiver with anxiety. But here’s a book that urges ‘pour the drinks, grab a bite, have fun, you’re entertaining’. Though platters have had a bad rap (butter boards, ughh), the Lazy Sunday Club people know their food and when they say platters are the easiest, least-stress way to entertain then I believe them. That’s because you prep much in advance, store-bought goodies can be zhuzhed up just fine, a generous platter (or bowl or board) looks wow and dig-in dining leaves you free to party. The book invites you to pick your level of effort from easy- ish (sausage rolls, gravlax and spicy chicken nibbles), easier (homemade onigiri, barbecued duck bao and prawn cocktail) and easiest (a chunk of manchego with salted almonds and olives, or a spruced-up tub of supermarket hummus) – no judgement. Food under control? Now for the drinks. If your taste runs to something a tad more glamorous than a can of beer or a glass of sav, there’s a slew of cocktails to turn your backyard into poolside Palm Springs.
TRACY WHITMEY